RIO RANCHO, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico softball team finished up their first day of action at the U.S. Bank ENMU Softball Kickoff Classic going 1-1 on the day with a 3-1 loss in the first game to Fort Lewis and a 4-1 win in the second game over Adams State.

After recording just two hits in game one against Fort Lewis, the Hounds came to life offensively in the bottom half of the sixth inning against Adams State to erase a 1-0 deficit. That offensive explosion that resulted in five hits and four runs to help out starting pitcher Hanna Gary, who had an outstanding outing going all seven innings while allowing just one earned run, gave head coach Kira Zeiter her first win as Eastern New Mexico head coach.

Gary threw a total of 10.1 innings throughout the day after coming in for relief of game one starter Kimberly Herron, who went 3.2 innings and gave up three earned runs before handing the ball over to Gary. Gary allowed just two base runners from then on in the game, but couldn't get the offensive assistance needed in order to lead the Hounds to a victory in their 2019 opener.

Shortstop Elysa Rodriguez and third baseman Precious Aguirre were the only Hounds to record a hit against Fort Lewis starter Mandy Lorenson, while sophomore Jennifer McElroy cashed in the only run of the game for the Hounds with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the third inning that scored leadoff batter Kayla Marshall.

That run evened the score up at 1-1 before the Skyhawks quickly answered in the top half of the fourth with three runs to pad a lead that they maintained for the reminder of the contest. Eastern New Mexico battled at the plate throughout the game and generated base runners with quality plate discipline, drawing a total of six walks.

The Hounds were unable to capitalize on the free bases however and stranded eight runners.

That trend looked like it was going to continue throughout game number two as Eastern had six hits and drew two walks in their first five trips to the plate as a team, but couldn't find the timely hitting necessary to put runs on the board. Senior Emma Gary sparked the sixth-inning rally with a leadoff double down the leftfield line, setting up Adriana Carabajal to come on to pinch run for Gary and serve as the tying run.

Rodriguez followed up the double with a perfect bunt single that advanced Carabajal to third before freshman Haleigh Behncke singled to right field to score Carabajal from third and tied the game up at 1-1. Head coach Kira Zeiter continued to put pressure on the Adams State defense and called for another bunt from Aguirre, who laid one down perfectly that couldn''t be fielded in time by the Grizzlies infield, scoring the go-ahead run from third.

Marshall took that momentum generated by the well-placed bunts and doubled to centerfield, scoring Behncke and extended the Hound advantage to 3-1. Sophomore Parker Smith put the final run on the board for the Hounds in the inning with a groundout to the third baseman that scored Aguirre, setting the stage for Gary to cap off her solid outing in the top half of the seventh inning.

The top half of the Hound lineup was outstanding in the win for the Hounds, going a combined 6-for-12 and recorded two RBI's. McElroy went 3-for-4 for the game while Marshall reached base on four of her eight trips to the plate between the two games.

Eastern New Mexico will finished up play in the tournament tomorrow afternoon with games scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. against Oklahoma Baptist and Fort Lewis.